Field
The present disclosure relates to an airflow control device of an internal combustion engine and, in particular, to an airflow control device of an internal combustion engine including a plasma actuator that is provided in an intake passage and controls a direction and strength of an airflow.
Description of the Related Art
In an internal combustion engine for vehicles, and the like, there has been known an airflow control device in which a plasma actuator is provided in a gas passage in order to make a flow in the gas passage controllable without providing a movable part, such as a valve, and in which a flow of gas in the gas passage is controlled by an electrical action of the plasma actuator (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-155673 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-142025).
The plasma actuator used herein has: a front surface electrode disposed to be exposed in the gas passage; and a back surface electrode disposed by sandwiching a dielectric between the front surface electrode and itself, and generates an airflow going from the front surface electrode to the back surface electrode by barrier discharge of the dielectric caused by applying an AC voltage between these front surface electrode and back surface electrode, thereby controlling the flow of the gas in the gas passage.